


Nobody Wants a Lonely Christmas

by astronomical_alien



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Irondad, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:15:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21894997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astronomical_alien/pseuds/astronomical_alien
Summary: It just happened to work out. It was one of those Christmases Pepper was going home to see her family in Ohio and Tony wanted to stay at the tower and sulk in the lab. May was offered a well-deserved Christmas vacation in Barcelona with her group of friends that always celebrate Gals-Giving and Peter needed somewhere to stay. He’d spent some weekends with Tony before, so it just made sense.Or Peter and Tony spend the week of Christmas together(I promise it's a fun time, just some Christmas fluff and angst right in time for the holidays)
Relationships: Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 2
Kudos: 48





	1. Acquiring a Tree

**Author's Note:**

> 1) These chapters are loosely connected - they are sort of a day by day thing   
> 2) Please power through this first one. I'm not a big fan of this first chapter but I'm really excited to write this little fic so if you make it through this one, I promise the next ones will be even better.   
> 3) Thank you so much for reading! Happy Holidays :)

December 21st   
“Mr. Stark, this is just sad,” Peter said, sitting at the kitchen bar holding up his head with his hand. 

It was the first morning of his holiday stay at the tower while May was away. Tony was standing over the stove, finishing up a pan of scrambled eggs. 

“My cooking isn’t that bad kid,” Tony said though he wasn’t sure if what he was saying was true or not. 

“Not that!” Peter leaned back on the stool and threw up his arms to gesture around the open room, “This!” 

“Not sure I’m following,” Tony said, eyeing down the walls of the penthouse, looking past Peter and into the living room to see what was wrong. “The throw pillows?” 

Pepper was brilliant, the smartest woman Tony’s ever met, but she had god awful taste in accent décor. 

Peter sighed, genuinely frustrated. He ran his hands down his face dramatically and Tony rolled his eyes pushing the eggs onto two plates. 

“It’s nearly Christmas Eve and you don’t even have a tree,” Peter said, “No decorations or anything.” 

He hopped off the stool and started pacing around the penthouse. 

“I’m not used to decorating at Christmas,” Tony said with a shrug. “Pepper’s usually gone and if we’re here for the holidays, she’s in charge.” 

“It’s like staring at a blank canvas – it’s driving me crazy!” Peter said, completely exasperated. 

“How would you decorate it then?” Tony asked, arms folded across his chest as he watched Peter pace around the living area.

“A tree obviously,” He said quickly, hand placed under his chin thoughtfully, “Right in the middle. And some garlands or tinsel around the windows, maybe some on the counter. Oh, and of course some lights.” 

“We could get a tree,” Tony said. 

“Really?” Peter asked, turning on his heels to face Tony. 

Tony wasn’t good at the Christmas thing. He didn’t grow up in a home that cared much for the Christmas spirit, although his mom tried. But he could tell this kind of stuff – getting a tree, stringing up lights – was important to Peter. And even if it was just the two of them this year, Tony was going to do his best to make it a good Christmas. 

“Of course. Pepper’s not here. I can decorate as I please,” Tony said. “Not sure where you want to get a tree from though.” 

Peter dropped himself onto the couch, still envisioning where lights could be strung, maybe even some paper snowflakes. 

“May and Ben used to take me to this little tree farm upstate. Beckett’s Tree Farm. It’s one of those places where you walk around the fields and chop down your own tree. May thinks the needles are a hassle so we don’t go anymore – she’s got that little white fake tree. But I promise Mr. Stark I can clean up the needles and I’ll water it too!” Peter rambled. 

“It’s not a pet,” Tony laughed. 

Peter ignored him and stuck out his arms from his place on the couch, making a box with his fingers – searching around the room as if an interior designer.   
“I haven’t been out in nature for a hot minute,” Tony said, amused by Peter’s antics. “How far away is that tree farm?”

*  
The tree farm was a cute place. A warm little shack selling hot cider and Christmas knick-knacks greeted customers at the front of the field. Behind it, covered in fresh snow were trees of all shapes and sizes. Peter was completely ecstatic, practically dragging Tony towards the trees. 

Tony had never done this. In his childhood, he’d wake up one morning in December and the decorations would done, a tall tree standing in the foyer already flaunting bobbles and tinsel. Howard didn’t have time to spare for Christmas, but Maria tried…even if it wasn’t a very hands on approach. Someone else always did the work. 

“What about this one?” Peter asked, standing next to a stout pine tree. 

Tony eyed it down before saying, “Not very impressive.”

“It doesn’t need to be impressive,” Peter said, but he moved on, walking through the snowy field. 

Tony trailed behind Peter, taking in the scenery. He observed how young Peter looked as he wandered from tree to tree, bundled up in two jackets and a scarf. Tony was having trouble imagining Peter being the same figure that dawns the Spiderman suit. Sometimes he forgets the kid is a kid.

Peter abruptly stopped in his tracks. Tony bumped into him and was about to say something snarky, but Peter quickly spoke. 

“This is the one.” 

Tony followed the kid’s gaze to the lucky tree. He couldn’t place anything special about it. 7-8ft tall, fairly full with frosted branches reaching out from all sides, a slight lean – it just looked like a tree to him,

“I like it,” He said anyways with a nod of approval. 

“Perfect!”

It took minimum effort to chop down the tree – Peter did all the work, claiming it was part of his promise to take care of it. He carried the whole thing by himself to the car while Tony headed inside the gift shop shack to pay for it. 

An elderly woman, presumably the farm owner, stood behind the counter surrounded by nutcrackers and ornaments dangling from hooks in the walls. She was enthralled by Peter’s tree-carrying abilities as she watched through the frosty windows.

“You’ve got quite a strong boy,” She said with a warm smile. 

“I’m lucky I’ve got him around to save my back,” Tony said, returning a smile. 

He handed the woman his card. She moved slow and Tony let his eyes wander as she worked to complete the transaction. There were ballerina ornaments twirling around the shop, touristy NYC bobbles, and glass snowflakes glinting in the light, but the real eyecatcher ornaments were the row of Avenger themed ones. Tony internally scoffed at them. Cap’s shield, a 4-inch tall Iron Man, the Iron Patriot, an awkward looking green hulk fist smothered in glitter – he was definitely going to get that for Banner – and at the end of the row was a shiny spiderman. The kid’s merch has made it to the big leagues (aka Christmas junk). 

Tony wished the woman a merry Christmas after she gave him his receipt. He walked over to his silver Audi now sporting a flashy conifer pine strapped to the roof and found Peter inside with the heater cranked up to 90. 

“My god, it’s like a sauna in here,” Tony said. 

Christmas music filled the car’s interior to Tony’s dismay and Peter’s pleasure.

“No thermoregulation, Mr. Stark,” Peter reminded him.

“I know, I know,” He said. 

“Got ya something, kid,” He added, handing an object to Peter.

Peter took it from him and looked down at the surprise gift. He saw a familiar red and blue figure dangling off a hook and laughed at the poorly painted ornament. 

“How’d you know I was such a big Spiderman fan?” Peter joked.

He held up the ornament to the window to see glitter on it shimmer. It wasn’t a bad look for Spiderman.

“Well I felt like I had to get it to go with this one,” Tony said, holding up a matching Iron Man ornament. 

Peter cracked a smile. 

“We’re going to have the best tree in New York,” He said, taking little Iron Man away from Tony. 

Tony just smiled and buckled up before starting the hour and half journey back to the tower. 

It was the early evening when they arrived in Manhattan. Peter set up the tree on his own – perks of having a kid with super strength around. It took them setting up the tree to realize they were empty handed of ornaments besides the two Tony bought at the Beckett’s Tree Farm gift shop. Peter didn’t seem to mind. He proposed they could take a trip to Home Depot tomorrow. For the moment however, Peter hung up the Iron Man and Spiderman next to each other at the front of the tree. 

After an extravagant take out dinner, Peter went on patrol and Tony took the free time to rummage around the rooms in the tower to find boxes of Christmas supplies Pepper had stored away. He sent a picture to Peter when he found three boxes of ornaments, and two tubs of excess Christmas goodies. 

*  
Tony Stark: Might be able to save us a trip to HoDo with these   
Peter Parker: Perfect! But please don’t ever call Home Depot HoDo ever again


	2. A Normal Night

December 22nd 

1:30am

Peter was perched on a rooftop. Snow was drifting down from a white sky, a winter glow from New York’s finest light pollution. His mask was clutched tight in his hand as he listened to cars and footsteps on the street 17 stories below. He liked the feeling of the snow on his cheeks and in his hair despite the chill it brought. 

Sometimes he needed a moment like this after wrapping up a patrol. Quiet even with the sounds of the city. A moment to think. He focused on breathing and feeling, thought about Ben and what they’d be doing if it was just a normal night. He’d be in bed after having dinner. May would’ve tried making meatloaf – Ben would’ve saved it from disaster after she got distracted playing cards with Peter. Right before they all would part for bed, Ben would open the door of an advent calendar with Peter and they’d share the chocolate inside. 

Peter pulled in another breath and looked down at his hands clad in red and blue. He looked at the mask and thought about how tonight he stopped three muggings, a bodega robbery, and walked a woman home (oddly a slow day for the holiday season). Something tightened in his chest for a moment. A sense of longing hugged him tight in the cold and he looked up to the ugly sky to wish again for those normal nights.

He could’ve stayed there forever but Karen reminded him curfew was 20 minutes away. He swung back to the tower, creeping in through a window Tony left open. Friday greeted him softly. He stood in the living area for a few seconds, teetering on the balls on his feet considering going to his room where his bed was waiting. He was bone tired, but looking at the barren tree, that longing took over and Peter couldn’t help himself. 

“Fri, is Mr. Stark asleep?” Peter asked.

“Boss is down in the lab,” Friday replied. 

Peter nodded, always unsure if Friday could see him or not.

He stopped by his room to change out of his suit and into some cozy pajamas before heading to the lab. Tony was in there as promised working on repairing a gauntlet. 

Hey kid, how was patrol?” Tony asked, eyes fixed on the hand armor in front of him. 

“The usual, nothing exciting,” Peter said. 

He didn’t notice some of the tension release from Tony’s shoulders at his words. 

“What are you working on?” Peter asked. 

“Just meddling,” Tony said, finally looking up. 

He could see the exhaustion in Peter’s eyes and recognized the expression of a restless mind on the kid’s face. 

“You going to bed?” Tony asked. 

Peter shook his head. 

“Actually, I was wondering if we could decorate the tree?” Peter said. 

Before Tony could say anything, Peter continued on.

“I mean, I know it’s late and you’re working, but I was just thinking it would be nice. And I’m kind of tired but not really, but we can always decorate tomorrow morning. I just – “

“That sounds a lot more exciting than what I’m doing,” Tony interrupted, setting down the Philips screwdriver in his grip and wiping his hand on his leg, “Let’s do it.”

Tony locked up the lab and they headed back up to where the tree was posed. Tony got to work on wrapping up the branches in lights while Peter snuck into the kitchen and found some hot chocolate packets that Pepper had left for them.

“What’s that Christmas station you like?” Tony asked as he plugged in the lights. 

“106.7,” Peter said. 

White Christmas suddenly started playing throughout the space, warming up the atmosphere. Two mugs clinked together as Peter pulled them down from the glass cabinets. Tony was staring at the officially lit tree proudly as if it was one of his suits. 

When the hot chocolate was ready, Peter brought the drinks over to Tony and after doing a 2:00am cheers, they commenced the tree decorating. 

Peter selected the first box of ornaments at random from the three Tony has found earlier. He held his breath before taking off the lid, curious to what would be inside. For some reason he was expecting silver and gold matching bobbles, HGTV type ornaments (Pepper’s taste as Tony would say). Instead he was looking at an assortment of all sorts of knick-knack ornaments, a few classic bobbles. 

Tony peered over Peter’s shoulder. 

“I didn’t even know I had those,” He muttered. 

Peter picked up a wooden heart framed by red and green string that was falling off. In the center of the ornament was the photo of a kid a few years younger than Peter. 

“Oh my god. Mr. Stark is this you?” Peter couldn’t help but laugh. 

“What? You can’t recognize that handsome face?” Tony said but Peter could tell he was a little embarrassed. 

“That’s going front and center on the tree,” Peter said, standing up with the heart dangling from his finger.

Tony rolled his eyes picking up some more classic ornaments from the box and hanging them on the tree. 

After 10 minutes of teamwork the tree was completed. Peter and Tony stepped back to admire their work. The tree had no theme whatsoever. Green and red bobbles were thrown about. There were icicle ornaments, candy canes, wooden ornaments – everything was happening on this tree.

“Pep would hate this,” Tony said, nudging Peter’s arm. “Good thing she’s not here.” 

“I love it,” Peter said, some sort of Christmas wonder behind his eyes. 

Tony hadn’t decorated a tree in a while. At least not in this kind of way. He liked it, in fact he missed it. 

“Mr. Stark! We forgot a star!” Peter said. 

“How’d we manage that?” Tony said. 

“We completely forgot to get one,” Peter said. 

Tony looked at him to see the kid a little defeated. 

“We are two of the smartest people on this planet,” Tony said, “I think we can come up with something.” 

He started heading to the lab and Peter followed, eager to build his own star. When they got down there, Tony pulled out a bin of spare parts and grabbed some wires. Peter rummaged through a bin of light bulbs and found one with blue glass that just felt right. It took them less than 15 minutes to put together a metal star, each edge spiraled with metal wires and somehow shimmering. When Tony got the electricity connected to it, it sent out a gentle blue glow. 

Tony couldn’t help but shudder at the thought of the arc reactor, an ache surfaced in his chest where it used to be. But then he looked at Peter who was grinning like a fool, eyes lit up like the lights on the tree. 

It was the exactly 3am when the tree topper was finally in its rightful place. 

“Light it up, Fri,” Tony said.

The bulbs on the tree blinked to life with an assortment of colors ruled over by Tony and Peter’s star. Snow was still coming down outside and the floor was quiet. Though the night wasn’t anything close to the normal Peter used to have (ie: patrolling as Spiderman and engineering a star with Tony Stark after forgetting to get one), it was nice. Peter finally let his tiredness take over, content with this new normal. 

Tony noticed how the kid slumped a little and rubbed at his eyes. 

“Alright kiddo, I think it’s time we call it a night – er – morning,” Tony said. 

Peter nodded with a yawn. Tony expected him to shuffle off to his room, but instead Peter walked over to him and tiredly slung his arm around his waist. A signature Peter Parker hug was in play. Tony reacted the way he usually did – a moment of surprise before cautiously hugging the kid back. 

“Thanks Tony,” Peter whispered into his chest. 

Tony tightened his arms around Peter. 

“Anytime, kid.”


End file.
